It looks like we are getting closer to this game finally becoming a reality. I'm only a causal gamer. I don't have the time available to play much, but I have been interested in this one ever since I first read about it.

I don't know if there will be open beta-testing for Europe - but who knows? Anyways, I am very interested in the game. Granted, MMORPGs usually consume way too much time, but this time... Since it really is a Lord of the Rings MMORPG... I just might get into it

Shadows of Angmar looks AWESOME going by the screencaps that are up on the site.

I love playing mmorpg's and strategy games; Middle Earth and Middle Earth 2 were fun for a while as well, but I've really boon looking forward to this.

Of course I've signed up for the beta.

The only thing I'd like would be if they let you play as an orc, troll, uruk hai, etc. like in WOW, but that may have to wait for an expansion or something major. Right now the class systems are good, but I'm conscerned that they might follow the gender-sensitive character profiles of Diablo 2; you can only play as a girl if you want to be a Captain, Burglar, or Hunter.

Also, I'm a bit concerned about the possible proliference of NPC dragons and other such enemies; they usually have the best loot and experience, but games run the risk of of having a drought or a proliference of such beasts, and the fact that LOTRO.com lists them as their own class of encounterable enemies is not a reassuring sign for those of us aware of the fact that there are no dragons living at Weathertop.

Hey Star, I'm looking forward to it as well, as you can probably already tell. I just don't know how much time I'll be able to spend on it. They have released some info the Race of Men and now Elves on the website. It would be neat to get in the beta test, but who knows. This will be my first MMORPG as well.

I've been keeping up with this one for a while and am v ery excited that it's finally close to becoming reality (or beta reality, anyway)!

The creators are now releasing tidbits of game info every tuesday and thursday - screenshots, videos, developer diaries, info on races and classes, etc. - go to http://lotro.turbine.com/ to see the latest.

Also, there are numerous kinships (the equivalent of a guild in other games) already formed even though the game is still months away from release (and, in fact, some of them have been around for 3 years or more). I'm a member of the Rangers of Thintaur, which is always looking to add new members but is fairly picky about who is invited (officially, the ability to write in complete sentences and express oneself without vulgarity is a must; unofficially, those lacking a sense of humor won't enjoy their stay much! ).

I've not joined any kinships yet, and am not sure if I will. I think I want to wait until I see the game itself and how the world feels as well as actually see how people role-play before I commit to a kinship.

This is a must read if you're wanting some basic info on the game, but the last part the mods turn everyone loose and you should the number of questions that get asked in a very short amount of time. Poor Jeffery went crazy.

LOTRO Alpha Officially Begins!
We're pleased to announce that The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ (LOTRO) has entered Alpha! This means for the first time, a limited number of people outside of Turbine are invited to play the game -- creating characters, fighting Orcs, meeting famous characters, and exploring the vast lands of Middle-earth™.

Over 100,000 fans have signed up for the Beta Program, which includes the Alpha and Beta phases of development. We'll be inviting tens of thousands of additional people into the Beta Program over the coming months.

I finally decided to sign up and I am now on the beta sign up. Do they really need all the personal info? I am really wary of putting personal stuff online. Oh well. I really wanna play the game so I'm gonna have to. Good thing my parents just got a new kickass desktop. I'm excited about the game.

I just got invited to the Beta stress test, which most people would I guess. But still Im excited, in like two days after the whole thing downloads I'll be more excited I mean the download is hugeeeee and im only getting like average 9 KB's a second Boromir209